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The administration will step up its efforts to protect the environment to enable the people in Hong Kong to enjoy a better and healthier quality of life, the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, said today (Wednesday).

It would also help enhance the territory's reputation as a pleasant destination for tourists and for international business travellers and would make it a more attractive place for highly-skilled professionals to live in.

To achieve the common goal of improving the environment, Mr Tung said that the administration would work closely with its counterparts on the Mainland, particularly in Guangdong Province.

The two most pressing problems that Hong Kong was facing were the pollution of coastal waters and air.

To help tackle the problem of water pollution, Mr Tung said that the administration would look to develop options for the further improvement of the strategic sewage system which served the main urban area.

These options had been drawn up with the National Environmental Protection Agency and its counterparts in Guangdong Province with a view to ensuring that protection of the local marine environment would also contribute to the protection of neighbouring waters.

Pending further consideration of these options and detailed work on the preferred scheme, the administration would seek the Legislative Council's agreement to fund other major projects to improve sewage collection and treatment.

For example, more deep tunnels would be built to collect sewage from Hong Kong Island for treatment at Stonecutters Island; and local sewage collection and treatment systems in many parts of the new towns, old developed areas and rural villages would be upgraded.

"We will also liaise closely with our counterparts in Guangdong with a view to planning long-term sewage treatment standards and to designing further measures to reduce pollution in Hong Kong and neighbouring waters.

"We expect to spend $12 billion on our sewage programmes over the next five years," he said.

In addition, the administration would proceed with the implementation of Stage II of the strategic sewage disposal scheme once the preferred scheme had been chosen.

"This represents a major investment in our future. It is also an investment for today, providing employment in construction and helping to safeguard those who make their living from the sea," he added.

On poor air quality, Mr Tung said: "We must deal with this problem as a matter of priority. The most pressing issue is to reduce air pollution from particulates in diesel vehicle emissions, as this is a direct present threat to our health."

Although they were not the only source of these emissions, taxis produced 30 per cent of all particulates given off by diesel vehicles, Mr Tung said.

"Our experience of working with the taxi trade, motor trade and fuel companies on a pilot scheme shows that it is feasible to convert the taxi fleet from diesel to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel.

"I am now therefore setting out our intention that all new taxis should operate on LPG fuel from the end of the year 2000," he said.

"We will work with the trade and take all necessary steps to ensure that the supporting infrastructure required to support this initiative will be put in place," he added.

Mr Tung said that other vehicle emissions had to be tackled if we were to enjoy cleaner air in our city.

He noted that new standards for light diesel vehicles which came into effect last week should reduce harmful emissions from individual vehicles by up to 55 per cent.

"In 1999, we will ban the sale of leaded petrol. We will also introduce more stringent testing of and enforcement action against smoky vehicles, as well as working with the minibus trade to encourage them to move to using cleaner fuel.

"We are conscious of the need to liaise with our counterparts in Guangdong Province with a view to improving the air quality of the Pearl River Delta area.

"Together with our Mainland colleagues we will initiate a study of the air quality in the Delta region, with the aim of developing improvement measures from 2000 onwards," he added.

End/Wednesday, October 7, 1998

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